William f



(No Model.)

W. F. HOOHSPEIER. TARGET.

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Nrrn n STATES PATENT rrrcn.

WYILLIAM F. I-IOCHSPEIER, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO FREDERICK MENZENHAUER, OF SAME PLACE, AND OSCAR SCHMIDT, OF

NEW YORK, N. Y.

TARGET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 605,314, dated une 7, 1898.

Application filed September 9, 1897. Serial No. 651,013; I (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Be itknown that I,WILLIAM F, IIOOHSPEIER, a citizen of the United States, residingatJersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy Targets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to toy targets; and the object of the invention is to provide a target which shall be interesting to both children and adult-s,the invention being to this end adapted and constructed in such a manner that it can be used with putty-blowers or light darts by children, or it can be used with rifles by grown-up people.

The device is comparatively inexpensive and is both durable and efficient for the pur-' pose intended.

The invention consists of a toy target which comprises a casing having a front opening, a face plate adjacent to said opening, said face plate being provided with a movable bullseye, a curtain adapted to cover said opening, means for actuating said curtain, and a spring provided with means for engaging the curtain and holding the same so as to close the opening, said spring being connected with saidbulls-eye, as will be hereinafter described and then particularly claimed.

0 In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of my toy target, showing the curtain raised. Fig. 2 is a rear View with the back plate removed. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on line 3 3, Fig. 2; and Fig.

i is an enlarged detail View showing more clearly the construction and cooperation of the pin on the curtain or shield and the catch or hook on the bulls-eye spring.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre- 4o sponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the box or case of myimproved toy target, which is provided with a removable back plate B, secured thereto by means of screws or other 5 suitable fastenings b. Arranged upon the front of the lower part of the case or box A is a face plate C of suitable shape, while above the face plate C the box is constructed with a front opening a. The front of the box, as well as the face plate 0, maybe decorated or orna'me'ntedin any suitable manner. The

provided with a hole (I, in which is guided the stem of a .button or knob D, which forms the bulls-eye, the inner end of said stem being suitably attached to a spring-plate E, so that the bulls-eye is held normally in its forward position, the spring assuming the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The lower end of the spring E is attached in a suitable manner to the face plate C,while its upper end is-provided with a nose or catch e, which is adapted to engage with a pinf on the transverse stick F of a vertically-m ovable curtain G, the ends of said stickbeing guided in longitudinal grooves gin the inner sides of the side walls of the box or case A. The curtain G may be decorated or colored in any suitable manner. The upper end of the curtain is attached to a shaft or roller II, the ends of which are jo-urnaled in the side Walls of the box or case, said shaft being springactuated,

' h is the actuating-spring,which is attached at its lowerend to the box or case, while at its upper end 'it is attached to the winding up cordh, which at' its upper end is'connected with the shaft or roller I-I.

Attached to the curtainstick for the purpose of drawing the curtain 1 down over the opening is a pulldevice consisting of strings or cords 1.,which are guided over pins or pro- 1jectionsj,'attached to the sides of'thebox, while thelower ends of saidstrings or cords tare brought together and led through a guide-eye K, arranged above a bottom perfo'r'ation'k in the lower end of the box or case, below which the strings are attached to sci or other suitable pull 7c.

1 A spring-lever L is pivoted at l inside the a tas or projection L',which, by means of the pro- I ICO be moved over into en a ement with the rear side of the spring E, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, or it may be moved into the position shown in dotted lines in said figure. This auxiliary spring L forms a sort of tension device for changing the tension of the bullseye spring E.

The target is operated as follows: The curtain is drawn down by means of the pull device until the pin or projection f on the cur tain-st-ick engages with the catch 6 on the bulls-eye spring E, pressing the latter from the position shown in dotted lines at the left of Fig. 3 into the position shown in full lines.

jectile, according to the instrument or means used, to be projected at a suitable distance from the targettoward the bulls-eye, hitting the bulls-eye, if possible. Vhen the bullseye is hit by the projectile, the spring E is pressed back into the position shown in dotted lines at the right of Fig. 3, so that the catch or nose 6 is disengaged from the pin, releasing the catch or nose from the curtain and permitting the actuating-spring h to raise the curtain and roll the same around the roller or shaft H, thereby disclosing to view the object P which is to be shown. When a light spring action of the bulls-eye D is desired, as when a child is blowing putty or peas against the bulls-eye, the auxiliary spring L is moved into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig.

2, thereby permitting the bulls-eye spring E l to normally act-that is to say, it acts without additional spring action imparted by the spring L. WVhen, however, greater tension is desired on the spring E, the spring-lever L is moved into the position shown in full lines in said Fig. 2, so as to engage with the spring E. This position is desirable when an adult, for instance, is shooting with a rifle toward the bulls-eye or when an air-gun with darts is used.

By reason of the tension device for the bulls-eye spring E the target is rendered acceptable to both children and adults, while the target is likewise interesting to both.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with a bulls-eye and a spring-plate fixed at one end, said bulls-eye being mounted between the ends of the spring,

- of a movable curtain or shield, means for connecting the free end of the spring with the curtain or shield, and means for actuating said curtain or shield when the connection between the bulls-eye and the curtain is broken, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a movable bullseye and a spring-plate fixed at one end and provided with a projecting nose or catch, said bulls-eye being fixed to the spring between the ends thereof, of a movable body provided with a pin, adapted to be engaged by said catch, and means for operating said movable body when the pinis released from said catch, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a movable bullseye and a spring-plate carrying the same and provided with a nose or catch bent up from its free end, of a movable body or .curtain provided with a projection adapted to be engaged by said nose or catch, and means for actuating the curtain when the nose or catch is disengaged from said projection, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a movable bullseye, and a spring for actuating the same, of a curtain, means for detachably connecting the curtain and the spring, a winding-up roller for the curtain, and means for operating said roller, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a movable bulleye, of a spring for actuating said bulls-eye, and means for changing the tension of said spring, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with a movable bullseye, of a spring for actuating the same, and a second spring adapted to move into and out of engagement with the bulls-eye spring, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination with a box or case, having a front opening and an object behind said opening, a face plate adjacent to the opening, and a bulls-eye, the stem of which is guided in an opening in the face plate, of a movable curtain or shield adapted to cover said opening, means for connecting the bulls-eye with the curtain or shield, and means connected with the curtain or shield for actuating the same and uncovering the opening when the connection between the bulls-eye and the curtain is broken, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with a box or case, provided with a front opening, a face plate adj acent to said front opening, a movable bullseye guided in the opening in the front plate, and an actuating-spring for said bulls-eye, said spring being provided with a nose or catch, of a movable curtain or shield arranged tocover said opening and adapted to be engaged by said nose or catch, and means for raising said curtain when the nose or catch is disengaged from the same, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in pres ence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM F. HOOHSPEIER.

. Witnesses:

GEO. L. WHEELocK, M. H. WURTZEL. 

